81 - Circle of Jean-Marc Nattier,

Circle of Jean-Marc Nattier, French 1685-1766- Portrait of a lady, seated half-length, in a landscape, with a floral garland around her shoulders and a yellow canary on her finger; oil on canvas, inscribed to the back in blue ink 'Mademoiselle Berlout / femme de Mer de la Varann [?] / peint en 1742', 80.1 x 64 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: The present work is highly reminiscent of Nattier's charming portraits of elegant sitters, often wearing rich drapery and festooned with garlands of flowers. Gobert enjoyed particular popularity in the court of Louis XV (1710-1774), becoming the preferred painter amongst the ladies of the court. The present composition exhibits many of the features which characterise Nattier's paintings, particularly in the sensitive handling of the sitter's face, and the outdoor setting beneath theatrically cloudy skies. Similar works by Nattier include his portrait of Marguerite-Françoise-Bernard de Reims which sold at Christie's, London, on 5 July 2011, lot 16, as well as his 'Portrait of a woman as Flora' which sold at Christie's, New York, on 28 January 2009, lot 90, and, perhaps most dramatically, his portrait of the Duchesse De Chartres As Hebe which sold at Sotheby's, New York, on 28 January 2010, lot 327.